I touched briefly in a previous post on half & half variations on how to easily change the lead foot in this dance, but since the technique applies to other variations as well (and to other dances, for that matter), I thought I would break it out into its own little post.
The two classic ways to switch the lead foot are to either add a step or subtract one. Subtraction works especially beautifully with the gentle sway of the half & half, and in the 1914 Quinlan Twins description of the dance, it is explicitly recommended:
On counts 4 and 5 of 8th measure, take one step with left foot and pose, leaving right pointed in 2nd position.
In context, this is used when the two dancers are promenading, in waltz position but both turned to face line of dance and doing three forward steps on each measure of half & half in the standard 1...4 5 rhythm of the dance. Odd measures are led with the gentleman's left foot, even with the gentleman's right foot; the lady dances opposite. On the 8th (or any even) measure, the gentleman steps as follows:
1 Forward right
23 Hold, raising left foot behind
4 Forward left
5 Face partner, right foot trailing in second position
A little bit of body sway helps keep the foot off the ground.
This transition leaves the gentleman free to lead the next (odd) measure on the right foot. If the dancers are highly sensitive to the odd/even bars in the music and prefer to initiate variations on a "first bar", this will allow them to do so.
The technique works equally well from the other half & half traveling steps: the waltz (reverse or natural), the walz pursuit, and backing the lady (or gentleman). Variations in angle and amount (or lack) of turn can leave the dancers in whatever orientation is required -- gentleman's back to line of dance, lady's back to line of dance, both facing line of dance, or facing each other (sides to line of dance).
To switch the lead foot back, do the same maneuver on a bar when the gentleman is leading with the left foot. He steps left (1), holds (2-3), right (4), and holds (5).
Source for this lead switch:
Dance Mad, second edition, [edited] by F. Leslie Clendenen, St. Louis, 1914
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.